Hi-low frame for hospital bed



Sept 13, 1966 w. A4 ENBRAND ETAL 3,271,795

HI-LOW FRAME FOR HOSPITAL BED Original Filed June l5, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Sz w m w Wham 7 Drew,

Sept. 13, 1966 W, A, H|| ENBRAND ET AL 3,271,795

HI-Low FRAME F'OR HOSPITAL BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June l5,1964 United States Patent O 3,271,795 III-LOW FRAME FOR HOSPITAL BEDWilliam A. Hillenbrand, Franklin Township, Francis J. Burst and, WilliamD. Drew, Batesville, Ind., assignors to Hill-Rom Company, Inc.,Batesville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Original application June 15,1964, Ser. No. 374,974. Divided and this application June 10, 1965, Ser.No.

7 Claims. (Cl. 5-63) Thisy application is a division of our co-pendingapplication Serial No. 374,974, filed lune l5, 1964.

This invention relates to a hi-low frame for an electrically drivenhospital bed, .and has for its principal object the provision of a newand improved frame of this type.

It is a main object ofthe invention to provide a hi-low frame for ahospital bed which is normally disposed parallel to the Hoor and whichcan be moved, by power means into position inclined with respect to thefloor to place the bed in the reverse Trendelenberg position.

Another object of the invention is to provide `a hi-low frame for ahospital bed. in which the posts at the foot end of the bed and the legstelescoped therein are disposed inwardly fro'm the edges of the springframe of the bed and terminate beneath the spring frame, which posts andlegs are provided with a steadyingsleeve which insures desired stabilityto the bed when the hi-low frame is elevated into its uppermostposition.

Further objects of the invention not specically mentioned here will beapparent from the detailed description and claims which follow,reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a preferredembodiment of the invention is shown by way of example and in which:

FIGURE l is a plan view of the hi-low frame of a hospital bed embodyingthe teachings of the present in` vention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view as seen from the head end of thebed;`

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, andshowing details of the invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, through apost and leg at the foot end of the bed frame.

In a hospital bed having a hi-low frame supportedon the oor and carryinga spring frame and mattress disposed thereabove, there may be occasionswhen the treatment of a patient in the bed necessitates placing thepatient in the reverse Trendelenberg position, that is, with thepatients feet substantially lower than his head while in a proneposition. rlhe, present invention provides mechanism for placing anelectrically driven hospital bed in such a position in a convenientmanner.

In a retractable hospital bed such as is shown in the parentapplication, of which this application is a division, it is preferablethat the p osts and legs of the bedy at the foot end thereof bepositioned inwardly from the lateral edges of the spring frame andmattress so that a doctor or nurse attending a patient in the bed is notlikely to strike against them.

In order to position the posts and legs at the foot end of the bedinwardly of the lateral edges of the spring frame, it is necessary thatthese posts and legs be shorter than the posts and legs at the head endof the bed so that their upper ends will lie beneath the spring frame.As a result of this arrangement, when the hi-low frame of the bed iselevated into its uppermost position, the legs` at the foot end of thebed project into the posts but a very short distance, and as a result,an undesirable unsteadiness at the` foot end of the bed is present andmust rice be compensated for to render the bed satisfactory for the usesto which it is to be pnt. The present invention provides mechanism forimparting the. desired stability to the foot end of the bed when it iselevated into its uppermost position.

Referring now to the drawings, particularlyy FIGURE 1, it will be seenthat the hi-low fra-me of the bed consists of side rails 10 and 11 whichare ixed toa cross member 12 at the head end of the bed and to a crossmember 13` at the foot end thereof. Posts 14 and 15 are iixed to theends of cross member 12 in convenient manner such as by welding andextend upwardly from the member 12 terminating above the spring frameand mattress of the bed'.

Legs 16 and 17 telescope into the posts 14;. and 15, respectively, eachVleg being equipped at its lower end with a caster 18 which supports thebed upon a floor.

At the foot end of the bed, posts 20 and 21 are attached to oppositeends of the cross member 13; and a leg 22 telescoped in the post 20,carries at its lower endA a caster 23 to support the bed upon thevfloor. The leg, not shown, telescoped in post 2:1 carries at its lowerend a similar caster 24.

Mounted upon the hi-low frame between the side rails 10 and 11 thereofis a, power platform` indicated generally at 30, .a motor 31 and acontrol unit` 32. Mounted above the power platform and journaled forrotation. is a screw 33 which has threaded upon it a nut 3.4. Screw 33vand nut 34 are not of the essence of the present invention, theirfunction and operation being fully explained in the parent applicationof which this application. is a division.

Also, mounted above the power platform for rotation isa screw 35 uponwhich a nut 36 is threaded. Attached to the nut 36l are cables 37 and:38, which lead to the head end of the frame, and cables 39. and40, whichlead lirst to the head end of the frame. and from there to the foot endof the frame as shown in FIGURE l. The operation of the screw 35 isfully explained in the abovementioned, parent application. and it issufcient to note herein that when the control unit 32 is operated tocause the motor 31' to drive the screw 35 in one direction, nut

36 is moved to the right as seen in FIGURE l to elevate the hi-low frameand bed, and when the motor is operated to drive the screw 35 in areverse direction, nut 36 moves to the left, as seen in FIGURE 1, tolower the hi-low frame and bed. f

The 'mechanism for placing the bed in a reverse Trendelenberg positionincludes L-shaped' leversy 45 and 46 that are journaled in and projectfrom the end frame member 12 twoard the foot of the bedr adjacent posts14 and 15', respectively.

As will be seen best in FIGURES4 2 and 3, the cross member. 12 is achannel, ythe web of which carries bushings 47 and 48. in which levers,45. and 46, respectively, are journaled. Fixed upon the innermostend oflever is a lever 50.

Journale-d in a bushing 51 that is xed upon the post 14 is a plunger 52to whichv the lower end. of the lever 50 is connected by a pin 53 thatprojects through a slot in the plunger 52. A spring 54. abutsagainst theend of bushing 51 and against a pinv 55 carried by the plunger, thisspringV urging the` plunger and lever into the position in which theyAare shown in. the drawings.

Leg 16 projectsintothe post 14. and is centered therein. by low frictionblocks 56 iiired` upon lthe leg and. engaging the inner surface of the.post. A sheave 57 journaledr in the end member 12 'projects into thepost 14 and' the cable- 37' is threaded around this` sheave 57` andextends between the leg 16 and post 14 to a point of attachment 58 atthe top of the leg. Leg 16 is perforated' as indicated at 59.

When it is desired to place the bed in a reverse Trendelenberg position,the motor 31 is operated to raise the bed to its uppermost position.This brings the perforation 59 into alignment with the plunger 52. Lever45 is then operated to move the plunger 52 to the left, as seen inthedrawings, thereby to project it through the perforation into the leg 16.

As will be seen in FIGURE 2, a rod 65 extends from the upper end f thelever 50 to a reversing link 66 journaled on the member 12 adjacent thecenter thereof. A second rod 67 extends from the lower end of link 66 tothe upper end of lever 50 that is journaled upon the lever 46 andconnected at its lower end to a plunger 52 that is positioned adjacentthe post and leg 17. It will be apparent that rotation of the lever 50in a clockwise direction to project the plunger 52 into the perforation59 in leg 16 will operate the lever 50 counterclockwise to project the-plunger 52 into a perforation, not shown, in leg 17.

The mechanism thus described is located between the edge anges of thechannel 12 and may be concealed by a suitable cover, not shown, carriedby the flanges and extending therebetween.

With the plungers extending into the legs and the lever 45 manually heldin operated position, the motor 31 is then operated in proper directionto lower the hi-low frame upon the legs. Plunger 52 contains a slot 60in its lower edge and a slight movement of the bed downwardly projectsthe bottom edge of the perforation 59 into this slot thereby locking theplungers in operated position to permit lever 45 to be released, sinceit is locked in operated position. Engagement of the post 16 with theslot and plunger and the similar engagement of the post 17 with the slotand plunger 52 prevent further downward movement of the head end of thebed. Further operation of the motor lowers the foot end of the bed untilthe desired reverse Trendelenberg position is reached. Cables 37 and 38become slack as downward movement of the foot end of the bed continuesafter the head end of the bed is held in an upper position. To insurethat these cables will remain in the grooves in sheaves 68 and 69,rollers 70 are provided.

When it is desired to return the bed to normal operation, the motor isoperated to raise the hi-low frame upon the legs of the bed. As soon asthe head end of the bed has been raised sufficiently to disengage thebottom edge of the perforation 59 from the slot 60, springs 54 and 54function to move the plungers and levers from their respective operatedpositions into the normal position in which they are shown in thedrawings.

The mechanism for maintaining desired stability at the foot end of thebed is shown in FIGURE 4. Telescoped into the post is a sleeve 71 thatis centered in the post by suitable low friction blocks 72 xed upon thesleeve and engaging the inner surface of the post. A slot 73 extendsfrom the bottom of the sleeve to a point near the top thereof and sheave74, around which the cable 40 is threaded, projects into this slot.

Leg 22 is positioned within the sleeve and centered therein by lowfriction blocks 75 xed upon the leg and engaging the inner surface ofthe sleeve. Cable 40 extends through the space between the leg andsleeve to a point of attachment at the upper end of the leg.

When the hi-low frame is in its lowermost position, the post and sleeveboth rest upon the bracket portion 23 of the caster 23. As the cable ismoved to elevate the frame, post 20 moves upwardly on the leg andsleeve, the friction between the sleeve and blocks 75 combining with thepull of gravity on the sleeve to overcome the friction between theblocks 72 and the post thereby causing the sleeve 71 to remain inengagement with the bracket 23 until relative movement between the postand sleeve is arrested by the engegament of stop means 76 carried by thesleeve with stop means 77 carried by the post. Further upward movementof the post pulls the sleeve upwardly on the leg 22 with a result thatwhen the hi-low frame is in uppermost position, the leg projects intothe sleeve and the sleeve projects into the post sufriciently to impartdesired stability to the foot end of the bed. Post 21 and the legtelescoped therein are equipped with a sleeve that duplicates sleeve 71in structure and function.

The parent application of which the instant application is a divisiondiscloses a retractable bed with the mechanism shown in FIGURES 2 and 3incorporated in the head end of the hi-low frame. As will be apparent toone skilled in the art, this mechanism can be incorporated in the footend of the bed, thereby to enable the bed to be put in a Trendelenbergposition. The steadying sleeve shown in FIGURE 4 is shown to be appliedto the posts at the foot end of the hi-low frame, these posts beingdisposed inwardly of the transverse edges of the spring frame and beingshorter than the posts at the head of the frame so as to fit beneath thespring frame. The teachings of the present invention are not limited inapplication to a retractable bed and modification of the specificdisclosure shown by way of example, to incorporate the teachings hereofto other beds is contemplated.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described apreferred embodiment of our invention, what we consider new and desireto have protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hospital bed comprising:

(a) a rectangular frame including cross members at the head and footends of the frame;

(b) a post fixed on each end of each cross members;

(c) a leg telescoped into each post for supporting the bed upon a oor;

(d) a sprin-g frame supported above said frame and normally disposedparallel thereto;

(e) power means for raising and lowering said posts and frame upon saidlegs;

(f) a plunger journaled in each post at one end of the frame;

(g) manual means for moving said plungers into slots in the associatedlegs that are aligned with the plungers when the posts are in elevatedpositions on the legs;

(h) and means for holding said plungers engaged in the slots while saidpower means lowers the other end of the frame to move the spring framedownwardly from horizontal into a downwardly inclined position.

2. A hospital bed as specified in claim 1 in which the manual meansincludes an operate lever journaled in the cross member adjacent eachpost, a crank arm xed upon each operate lever and connected to theassociated plunger and link means connecting together said crank arms tocause both plungers to be moved when either operate lever is rotated.

3. A hospital bed as specied in claim 2 in which the cross members ofthe frame are channels and in which the operate levers are journaled inthe web of the channel and the crank arms, plungers and link means aredisposed within the channel between the flanges thereof.

4. A hospital bed as specified in claim 1 in which the means for holdingthe plungers engaged in the legs includes a notch recessed into eachplunger into which notch the leg portion at the end of the slot projectsto hold the plunger engaged with the leg.

5. A hospital bed as specified in claim 4 in which a spring encircleseach plunger and moves the plunger out of the leg when the post is movedupwardly on the leg and the plunger is thereby raised out of engagementwith said leg portion.

6. A hospital bed comprising:

(a) a rectangular frame including cross members at the head and footends of the frame;

(b) a post fixed on each end of each cross member;

(c) a sleeve telescoped into each foot end post and containing avertically disposed slot opening into the lower end of the sleeve;

(d) spacer means composed of low friction material -xed upon the sleeveand engaging the post to center the sleeve in the post;

(e) a leg telescope/d into each sleeve;

(f) low friction spacer means xed upon the leg and engaging the sleeveto space the leg inwardly of the sleeve;

(g) a sheave journaled in the cross member and projected into the slot;

(h) a cable extended around said sheave and through the space betweenthe leg and sleeve to a point of attachment at the upper end of the leg;

(i) power means for operating said cable to raise the post and frame onthe leg, said sleeve being free to drop and being dropped down bygravity during such movement;

(j) and interengaged means on the sleeve and post for limiting downwardmovement of the sleeve,

7. A hospital bed as specified in claim 6 in which the interengagedmeans consists of stop means on the sleeve near the top thereof andprojecting radially into juxtaposition to the post and stop means on thepost near the midpoint thereof and projecting radially inwardly intojuxtaposition to the sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK B. SHERRY,Primary Examiner.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner.

1. A HOSPITAL BED COMPRISING; (A) A RECTANGULAR FRAME INCLUDING CROSSMEMBERS AT THE HEAD AND FOOT ENDS OF THE FRAME; (B) A POST FIXED ON EACHEND OF EACH CROSS MEMBERS; (C) A LEG TELESCOPED INTO EACH POST FORSUPPORTING THE BED UPON A FLOOR; (D) A SPRING FRAME SUPPORTED ABOVE SAIDFRAME AND NORMALLY DISPOSED PARALLEL THERETO; (E) POWER MEANS FORRAISING AND LOWERING SAID POSTS AND FRAME UPON SAID LEGS; (F) A PLUNGERJOURNALED IN EACH POST AT ONE END OF THE FRAME; (G) MANUAL MEANS FORMOVING SAID PLUNGERS INTO SLOTS IN THE ASSOCIATED LEGS THAT ARE ALIGNEDWITH THE PLUNGERS WHEN THE POSTS ARE IN ELEVATED POSITIONS ON THE LEGS;(H) AND MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID PLUNGERS ENGAGED IN THE SLOTS WHILE SAIDPOWER MEANS LOWERS THE OTHER END OF THE FRAME TO MOVE THE SPRING FRAMEDOWNWARDLY FROM HORIZONTAL INTO A DOWNWARDLY INCLINED POSITION.